Some phrases get used so often they stop meaning anything. “Speaking truth to power” is one of them. Mary Elizabeth and I picked it apart in this throwback, and the debate ended up being less about courage and more about something most PMs never talk about openly: who actually has the standing to say the hard thing, and who’s just going to get hurt for trying.
The Tension
Mary Elizabeth argued for the motion. Her case:
* Delivering uncomfortable news, unrealistic timelines, scope conflicts, resource overload, is squarely inside the PM’s job description
* Done well, it protects the project and the sponsor’s own interests, even when they don’t want to hear it
* There’s a method to it: know the roadmap, know what keeps leadership up at night, and know when to stop talking
I argued against it. My case:
* “Every” is doing too much work in that sentence. Plenty of PMs never get close enough to power to speak to it
* A lot of organizations run like small dictatorships regardless of what country they sit in, and the cost of speaking up doesn’t always justify the act
* Even the people who’ve earned the access often lack the skill to do it well, and ego gets tangled up in what people call “the truth”
The Line That Still Hits
My closing argument came down to this: speaking truth to power assumes you have exclusive access to the truth. Most of the time you don’t. Collaboration and joint problem-solving get you further than the hero moment of telling leadership what they need to hear.
Why This Still Matters
This one lands differently depending on where you sit in an organization right now. If you’re newer, it’s a reminder that access to power is earned, not assumed. If you’re senior, it’s a check on ego, the belief that because you’re closest to the work, you’re the only one who sees it clearly.
Final Thought
Speaking truth to power isn’t the same as doing the right thing, and it isn’t the same as being honest. We tend to collapse all three into one virtue. They’re not.
What’s your read: is this a skill every PM needs, or a privilege some PMs earn?
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